COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2565, 25 March 1869, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times Office, Wednesday Evening,

The Customs revenue collected at Christchurch and Lyttelton to-day amounted to ■£l94 6s Bd. The following were the items: Wine,'l2S gals, £25 12s lOd; spirits, 98j* gals, .£59 7s 3d; ale (bulk), 500 gals, £25; ale (bottled), 266 gals, £l6 12s 6d; sugar, 5231 lbs, £2l 15s Ildj tobacco, 290 lbs, £36 ss; light dues, £9 5s 8d; arras fees, ss; merchant shipping fees, 2s 6d,

oamaru,—The Times of March 23 reports; —The grain market is stagnant with few operations; Ave bear of sales of wheat at 3s 6d, but believe these are not to be taken as a criterion of market value. Good sample is quoted, nominally, at 4s, but we have not heard of any transactions taking place recently at that price. There is generally an indisposition to buy until values have been more definitely fixed. Oats remain at 2s 3d for terms. Fair sample of malting barley is worth 4s-a superior parcel recently fetched 4s 4d. The carcase sales during the week have been well attended, and sheep fetched from 4s to 4s 9d, and, in a few cases, 5s per side. Timaru.—The Herald of March 24 reports :—There has not been so much business during the last few days, and transactions only moderate. The grain market is less active, and in wheat not much doing, owing to holders keeping back for 3s 9d, which buyers are not disposed to operate at, We have heard of one superior sample being sold at that figure since our last report, but advices from neighbouring markets have had a depressing effect. Oats continue firm at 2s 6d with a fair business doing. On Saturday Mr F. LeCren sold about 30 sides of fat mutton by public auction, the prices realised being from Is 6d to 3s 6d per side. Mr F. W. Stubbs held his usual weekly produce sale on Saturday, at which the following prices were realised .-—cheese, 4*d to 5d per lb; potatoes, 5s to 5s 6d per cwt; bacon, 6d per lb. On Saturday Messrs Parkerson and Macpherson sold by auction at Temuka 180 moderately good rams, the price realised being one shilling per head. We learn that the Three Springs station, near Burke's Pass, belonging to Messrs f Kimbell and Macnair, was sold in Dunedin on Monday. The station comprises about 21,000 acres of country, with 12,000 sheep, 52 head of cattle, and improvements. Mr Kimbell was the purchaser at £8550. Hokitika.—The West Coast Times of March 23 reports on the business of the month:—ln the principal article of consumption, flour, there has been scarcely any fluctuation throughout the month. In our last summary we stated this article, after having receded to £l7, had assumed firmness, and we quoted the closing price at £lB for Hart's Adelaide. Since then we have received the cargo of the Hector from that port; and although, when offered at auction on the wharf, the utmost that could be obtained was £l7 7s 6d per ton, and only a few tons disposed of at that price; still the balance having been placed in one line at a figure withheld, the market value was maintained at £lB. Arrivals of Provincial and other kinds have since tended to'lower the market in some degree, hut at the present £1717s would be the lowest for that brand. Provincial flour has been sold as low as £l3 10s; the range may, however, be stated at from £l4 to £l6 10s, according to quality. Oats have been quite as'steady as flour during the whole of the month. The price at which we quoted them in our last summary was 4s 3d per bushel, and until last week they remained at _ that figure, with scarcely any variation. They have now, however, hardened, and 4s 6d is about their value. Of chaff we have had rather large supplies lately from interprovincial markets, but the qualities are much inferior to the articles we get from Melbourne, and the rates at which those have been selling afford but little criterion of market value. The present quotation for Melbourne chaff is about £l9. Bran is in rather good supply, and is worth from 2s to 2s 3d. Potatoes have been firm of late, our own growth not coming forward in quantity sufficient to supply the demand. They are worth now, if of prime quality, from £7 10s to £B. Onions are about as we stated them previously, from IJdto 2d per lb. The rise in butter, which we noted in our last report has been maintained, notwithstanding the Melbourne market having gone down. Our stocks are however, more than sufficient for our requirements, and though good and'prime qualities still realise from Is 2d to Is 4d, buyers are disinclined to purchase at those figures more than they require for immediate demand, and we expect to have to give a lower quotation very shortly. Cheese is in good supply at present, but there is no change in values. English is worth about Is Id, and Colonial about Bd, Provisions generally have been dull of sale of late, in consequence of the comparatively low rate at which fresh meat has been selling, but the old prices are still maintained. Sinclair's or Coey's hams are still worth Is 4d, Compton's Is 3d, and bacon Is 2d.